MEECAS 2013 - Midwestern Experimental Electronics Conference & Showcase

via MEECAS

"We have seen experimental electronics artists transform musical instrument design; we have seen them tinker with musical teory and composition; we have seen them advance the hands-on education system; we have seen them turn DIY performance art on its head! What will they do with micro-theater -- specifially puppetry?

The annual Midwestern Experimental Electronics Conference and Showcase (www.MEECAS.com) is a free, day-long, inventors' networking symposium highlighting the past year's innovations in the areas of Musical Instrument Design, Performance, Circuit Bending, Data Hacking, and Video Art.

There are lectures, demonstrations, interactive installations, a daytime circuit bent open mic, and an evening's showcase of the Midwest's most innovative artists and inventors.

Children welcome from Noon - 4:00 PM if accompanied by a parent."

marsynth/adamon at meecas 2011

marssynth/adamon will be participating in the 2011 MEECAS event put on by the Roth Mobot guys in Chicago IL this Saturday. Info on the event can be found here.

follow-up to this post.

MEECAS 2011 Midwestern Experimental Electronics Conference and Showcase

"MEECAS 2011
What have you been tinkering with?

Saturday, October 22
12 Noon - 12 Midnight
Lizard's Liquid Lounge
3058 W Irving Park Rd. (map)

The annual Midwestern Experimental Electronics Conference and Showcase (www.MEECAS.com) is a free, day-long, inventors' networking symposium highlighting the past year's innovations in the areas of Musical Instrument Design, Performance, Circuit Bending, Data Hacking, and Video Art.

There are lectures, demonstrations, interactive installations, a daytime circuit bent open mic, and an evening's showcase of the Midwest's most innovative artists and inventors. Children welcome from Noon - 4:00 PM if accompanied by a parent.

Inventors, Artists, and Musicians are encouraged to bring their latest experiments, instruments, videos, etc. to demonstrate during the circuit bent open mic or to place on the "work table" as part of the interactive installations section of the event. Audio-based installations should include headphones.

EVENING SHOWCASE: 6:00 PM - Midnight
This year's Evening Showcase features the work of:
- TOYDEATH, Toy Town, Sydney, Australia (their first ever webcast!)
- Tim Kaiser, Duluth, MN (last performance of his Fall tour!)
- Talking Computron, Minneapolis, MN (the force behind Get Lo Fi)
- Spunky Toofers, Columbia, MO (part man, part circuit, all jazz)
- Space Gun Bunny, Fort Wayne, IN (design, explore, repeat)
- ROTH MOBOT, Chicago, IL (circuit bent toys, granular synthesis, & electroacoustics)
- The Ring Toss Twins, Minneapolis, MN (witchy use of technology)
- Mother Daughter Crime Team, Chicago, IL (sychronized MIDI/CV circus)
- Dustin E., St. Louis, MO (noise artist extraordinaire)
- CMKT4, DeKalb, IL (pioneers of future fusion)
- Alex Inglizian, Chicago, IL (musician engineer)
- adamon, Topeka, KS (synth drone lord)

VIDEO PROJECTS: Noon - Midnight
Various Artists (Experimental electronic video projects welcomed!)

INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS: Noon - Midnight
Various Artists. (Experimental electronic projects welcomed!)

WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, DEMOS: Noon - 6:00 PM
Noon - 1:00 PM, Vactrol Fever with Patrick McCarthy
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, Build a Bending Buddy and/or Build a Contact Mic with CMKT4
3:00 PM - 6:00 PM, What is Circuit Bending? with Various Artists
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM, Brains from the Thunderbirds, The Audio of the Aurora Borealis with Sam Piro

MEECAS STORE: Noon - Midnight
Exhibiting and performing artists will be selling recorded works, experimental musical instruments, electronics kits, apparel, etc. to offset their costs.

LIVE WEBCAST: 5:30 PM - Midnight, CST
www.ustream.tv/channel/meecas-2011

CALL FOR DEAD BATTERIES: Noon - Midnight
Bring your dead batteries to the MEECAS and we will send them to a proper eWaste recycling center. Last year the MEECAS audience brought enough batteries to fill a bucket!

MEECAS Montage 1 of 2

MEECAS Montage 1 of 2 from Creme DeMentia on Vimeo.

"Patrick McCarthy opens the event, interactive exhibits Pignose Amplifier by Patrick McCarthy, Photovores by Sam Piro, Jeff Cox plays the slinky through his circuit-bent parrot using a Creme DeMentia bottle-cap contact microphone, Video Installation by Steve Buck, Mike Kana providing the soundtrack via Chaos pads/etc., Stolen installation by ______,
LIFE Synth Installation by Mike Una (visual only), ______ circuit bent Casio synth, Contact Microphones from Creme DeMentia display, circuit bent parrot by Jeff Cox, circuit bent lantern by Patrick McCarthy, LED Flower sculpture by Steve Buck, Roth Mobot announcement, Sam Piro's lecture on Raymond Scott/Circle Machine Junior demos, Hugo Paquette video segment, Circle Machine Junior close-up (Sam Piro talks with Zach Adams), fellow listening to Circle Machine Junior, Photovores by Sam Piro, impromptu performance by Jeff Cox using glitchy circuits and a rotary phone dial gate (aka Kaiserphone), Pelzwik / Sprite Lite Theater performance video, Roth Mobot announcement and performance. Live Mixed video projections by ___________. "

Roth Mobot Experimental Electronics News

"1. Upcoming Workshops
Introduction to Circuit Bending
Sunday, November 28th, 1:00 PM - 4:50 PM
The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave
Register at 773-728-6000

Take apart your old toys and make a brand new musical instrument! Circuit bending is the art of modifying existing battery-powered electronics (like children's toys, guitar effects units, inexpensive battery-powered instruments, etc.) to create unique musical instruments by adding wires, knobs, and switches to control new connections within the device's pre-existing circuitry. Enjoy bizarre sounds, electronic loops, sampling, distortion, and other easy to create effects. At the end of this workshop you'll be able to identify and explore the basic components of a typical circuit board, install an output jack, switches, body contacts (and more!), and control a world of new sounds. No previous electronics experience is required! Tools and components will be provided. Students are required to bring one or two battery powered devices to the class.

How To Build A Simple Contact Microphone
Sunday December 5th, 1:00 PM - 2:50 PM
The Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N Lincoln Ave
Register at 773-728-6000

Contact mics are inexpensive, easy to build, and can be a source for fun and experimental ways of creating new sounds for recording, art installations or various live performances. In just two hours we will show you how to make a simple, effective contact microphone from surplus and discarded materials. Students are encouraged to bring random objects to amplify - sheet metal, cardboard boxes, acoustic instruments, slinkies, coat hangers, textured plastic objects, etc.
No previous electronics experience is required!

2. MEECAS 2010 Audio Tracks Ready for Listening & Downloading
Thanks to everyone who made it out to the MEECAS and helped make it such an awesome, constructive day/evening. The videos and pics are starting to roll in. If you have any please feel free to dump them into one of the many "groups" on the www.MEECAS.com site. Thanks to (steven) Buck, we have high quality recordings of the evening's performances that you can listen to online, or download the MP3s. Also, if you have a chance, check out Tom Young's excellent portraits from the evening.

Thank you for your time,

Patrick McCarthy
www.RothMobot.com
www.MEECAS.com"

MEECAS 2010

"The 3rd annual Midwestern Experimental Electronics Conference And Showcase (MEECAS) is a free, day-long symposium highlighting the past year's accomplishments in the areas of Musical Instrument Design, Performance, Circuit Bending, Data Hacking, and Video Art.

CONFERENCE
Saturday, November 13, Noon - 3:00 PM
Lizard's Liquid Lounge, 3058 W Irving Park Rd. (map)

A three-hour circuit bent open mic, and an open “horizontal lecture series” structured around a free hardware hacking workshop wherein all participants are both teacher and student. The conversation will focus on networking, hacking techniques, projects demonstrations, and setting goals for the next year.

SHOWCASE
Saturday, November 13, 8:00 PM - Midnight
Lizard's Liquid Lounge, 3058 W Irving Park Rd. (map)

Interactive installations, video presentations, and performances.
Featured performers include:

* Tim Kaiser, Duluth, MN
* Roth Mobot, Chicago, IL
* Welcome Tomerica, Chicago, IL
* The Spright Light Puppet Theater, Minneapolis, MN
* Alex Inglizian, Chicago, IL
* Will Soderberg, Chicago, IL
* CMKT4, DeKalb, IL

VIDEO
In addition to videos from some of the Midwest's leading Glitch artists, we will be featuring the live video work of The Machinist.

MEECAS STORE
Exhibiting and performing artists will be selling recorded works, experimental musical instruments, electronics kits, and apparel to offset the cost of the show."

More details: http://www.rubbermonkey.org/meecas/index.htm